“BEHOLD, I COME QUICKLY”
REVELATION 22:12, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
Introduction:
This is the Coming of the Lord to the earth in JUDGMENT. He will come with His Saints and destroy His enemies and establish His Kingdom on this earth.
I. BEHOLD
A. To see with the EYES, 1 Timothy 3:2, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, VIGILANT, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;”
B. To see with the MIND:
1. To become AWARE of, Matthew 24:50, “The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,”
2. To identify by means of the SENSES, Hebrews 5:14, “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
C. To see, i.e. become ACQUAINTED with by EXPERIENCE, Ecclesiastes 1:16, “I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had GREAT EXPERIENCE of wisdom and knowledge.”
II. I COME “QUICKLY”
A. I Come QUICKLY to Judgment, Revelation 22:10-12, “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. 11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
1. God will judge all things, Ecclesiastes 11:9, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”
2. Men will give account of every idle word, Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
3. All nations will stand before the Lord, Matthew 25:32, “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:”
B. I Come SWIFTLY, Revelation 22:20, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
C. I Come WITHOUT Delay, Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
1. Blessed is he that READS this prophecy, Matthew 24:15, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”
2. Blessed is he that HEARS this prophecy, Psalms 119:130, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
3. Blessed is he that KEEPS the things that are written in this prophecy, Matthew 7:24, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:”
III. THE COMING REWARDS
Reward = Heb., Dues paid for work; used of the fruit naturally resulting from toils and endeavors.
A. For the SAINTS, Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and THEY THAT TURN MANY TO RIGHTEOUSNESS as the stars for ever and ever.”
1. His REWARD is WITH Him, Isaiah 40:10, “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, HIS REWARD IS WITH HIM, and his work before him.”
a. He came with a STRONG, COURAGEOUS HAND, having ALL POWER, Isaiah 53:12, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath POURED OUT HIS SOUL UNTO DEATH: and he was NUMBERED WITH the TRANSGRESSORS; and he BARE THE SIN of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
b. His ARM that SCATTERED THE SEED shall rule for Him, Romans 10:18, “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, THEIR SOUND went into ALL the earth, and their words unto the ENDS of the world.”
2. The Lord has proclaimed His Word through His Churches to the UTTERMOST PART of the earth, Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the UTTERMOST PART of the earth.”
3. Their efforts under His Powerful hand have had success, Isaiah 55:11, “So shall MY WORD be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall NOT RETURN UNTO ME VOID, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
B. For the Unbeliever, v. 12; Hebrews 2:2, “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;”
1. It will be ill with the unbeliever, Isaiah 3:11, “Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.”
2. They will receive a just recompense according to their works, Psalms 28:4, “Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.”